New entrance to Laois shopping centre wins planning approval

Laois Shopping Centre customers will no longer have to climb an external tiled stairs to do their shopping, following the approval of planning permission for a new entrance.

Business owners Lindat have been granted the green light by Laois County Council planners, for a huge change to the Portlaoise shopping centre's south entrance facing the Kyle shopping centre. They are closing up a first floor entrance and changing to a ground floor entrance with access lifts to the shopping mall for customers.

Approval was granted on October 30 for the plan, which includes change of use of a 236 sq metre area of the building from retail to 'circulation' space over three levels, lower ground, mall, and first floor of the building. It will affect units 36, 136 and anchor 03.

This work is being done to 'create a new common lobby area' that will have lift access to all levels. Some minor reconfiguration work to the internal floor levels at the lower ground is planned.

The plan changes how people enter the building from the Kylekiproe Road. A new public entrance will be at the southeast corner of the building, beside the service yard. 

An existing entrance at the top of the steps and the wheelchair ramp will be blocked up. 

There is no reference to the pedestrian crossing at the bottom of the steps in the summary public notice.  

The shopping centre is in the midst of multiple planning changes. 

Lindat got permission 10 days previously to merge two upper ground floor retail units (35 and 36) oppposite Tesco in the shopping mall. This will create a new single larger are unit of 781 sq metres.  

Penneys is now undergoing work to double in size, adding a possible 90 new jobs.

The shopping centre recently welcomed a new food court too, with O'Brien's, AbraKebra and the Bagel Factory.

Read also: Fastway franchise holder in Laois 'down €40k with young family to feed'

Laois Shopping Centre opened in November 1991. A substantial €62 million redevelopment project was completed in 2010 for Harcourt Development.

Apart from adding more retail space, a significant amount of parking was added. The project was delayed and downsized due the the property crash. It now includes 30 stores over two levels with 1200 basement car parking spaces.